Ian Parsons
Its links to British spy James Bond may be the stuff of legends, but the Goldeneye is a beautiful bird to be admired in its own right WORDS: IAN PARSONS
heaps praise on the bird with a link to British spy James Bond. Will you add the great Goldeneye to your 2020 list ?
The male Goldeneye is a lovely looking duck: beautiful black-and-white markings on the body, a large, green-glossed head adorned with a round white spot by the bill and topped off with that very golden eye. These attractive diving ducks breed in small numbers in Britain, but it is in winter that they become familiar to birders all over the country. I always enjoy seeing them and whenever I do, a certain Hollywood movie theme tune always pops in to my head.
Ian Fleming’s James Bond is a globally-recognised brand. There have been, to date, 26 James Bond films and one of these was, of course, called Goldeneye. Pierce Brosnan’s Bond debut was named after Fleming’s estate that the author had built in Jamaica just after World War II. There is some debate as to what the Goldeneye estate was actually named after, but one thing is for certain, Ian Fleming was a keen birdwatcher, so perhaps the estate’s name owes something to this duck.
James Bond himself definitely owes his name to birding. When writing his first Bond book, Fleming was looking for a very normal sounding English name, and being a birder living in Jamaica, he had a copy of Birds of the West Indies close to hand. The author of this field guide was none other than James Bond. It is strange to think that one of the world’s best known fictional characters acquired his name from birdwatching.
Goldeneye (the ducks that is) are found breeding right around the northern hemisphere, from Alaska, through
Europe and all the way across Russia. Since 1970, they have also bred here in Britain in the Scottish Highlands. These ducks are hole nesters, nesting high up in trees using the old nests of large woodpeckers, especially Black Woodpecker and, in North America, the Pileated Woodpecker. As with many other hole nesting birds, Goldeneye have readily taken to nestboxes and it is thanks to the putting up of suitable nestboxes that the British breeding population has become established. To go back to the movie theme, if you build it, they will come.
Spectacular display
There are now about 200 breeding pairs of Goldeneye in the Highlands, enabling some British birdwatchers to have the chance to see their spectacular courtship display. It is a loud and vigorous one – the males make a terrific two syllable whistle that is heard long before the ducks, or even the water that they are on, come in to view. The males try to out-compete one another to impress the watching females. They toss their heads back over their backs, then stretch their necks upright, with their bills pointing skyward. When they get really excited they accompany this with lots of foot-splashing, spraying water everywhere. These are not inconspicuous ducks.
Like many birds that breed in northern latitudes, Goldeneye are migratory, heading south to escape the harsh chill of winter. Birds from eastern Europe and Scandinavia begin to head south and west in August, with between 20,000-30,000 of them reaching Britain. Ringing recoveries show that the majority of our wintering Goldeneye breed in Scandinavia,
but others breed in Germany and also in Russia, so some of our birds, at least, could be said to come from Russia with love! Unlike many ducks, Goldeneye can be rather shy and don’t tend to form large groups, but look past the large formations of Wigeon and Teal and you may well spot one or two of them.
The conspicuous behaviour of the breeding males has gone, but the striking plumage remains, meaning that they are fairly easy to spot. Like a lot of diving ducks they also have the annoying tendency to dive just as you are about to point them out to your fellow bird watchers, or, as always seems to happen to me, just as you press the shutter button on your camera!
In the winter, these diving ducks are mainly after crustaceans, catching crabs, crayfish and shrimps, while during the breeding season, they also take advantage of the numerous aquatic insects that they share the water with.
Bird in a hurry
The males are fairly unmistakable, but the females, in common with most ducks, aren’t so obviously marked. They share the large round head profile of the males, but the head colouring is a rich brown colour, which ensures that the pale golden eye stands out clearly, and they lack the curious white spot of the male. The body of the female is a mottled grey, giving, to my mind at least, a scaly impression. Towards the rear of the bird a small white triangle, the speculum, appears to poke out from beneath the wing, interrupting the grey plumage.
Goldeneye in flight give the impression of a bird that is in a hurry, with rapid wings beating hard. The male shows lots of black and white in the upper wings and body, with the dark underwings contrasting with the white belly and neck, the dark head is obvious and the white spot by the bill is clearly visible.
The female also has a white belly and neck that contrasts clearly with the dark head and dark underwing pattern. The upperwings and body are generally grey in colour, but the wing has a large white rectangle, crossed by two dark stripes, that runs from the rear trailing edge almost completely up to its leading edge, giving the bird a very distinctive appearance.
Goldeneye are brilliant ducks to see, whether you are able to see them displaying in the early spring at Loch Garten or diving for food on your local reservoir or estuary, but remember, they are not for your eyes only…